You've got to be feeling very positive about this start if
you're a Mavs fan, especially with the way they've been playing lately.

Dallas comes in on the heels of four straight victories,
three of which were at home over the likes of Houston, Philadelphia and Utah.
They also beat Orlando 108-100 on the road as two-point favorites.

Last night the Mavs beat the Jazz by 10, barely falling
short of a cover as 10.5-point dogs. Dallas shot 50.7 percent from the field
and out-rebounded Utah 41-31.

Monta Ellis hit 8-of-19 shots for 26 points and added six
assists, three rebounds and a steal. Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points and seven
boards, but it was Samuel Dalembert that was the X factor. He had 18 points
(8-of-8 FG), 12 rebounds and two blocks in the victory.

With the win, Dallas moved to a perfect 7-0 at home, but now
they head back on the road where they're just 2-4 straight up.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets got back on track after a tough two-point loss
at Oklahoma City by beating Chicago 97-87 at home on Thursday night.

Most sportsbooks actually had Denver priced as an underdog but
they got up for the national stage. The Nuggets had six different players score
in double figures.

Ty Lawson had 10 points, seven assists and three rebounds in
a quiet performance matched up with Derrick Rose, but Kenneth Faried (12
points, 11 rebounds, two blocks) and J.J. Hickson (14 points, nine boards)
played well inside.

That's now four straight home wins for Denver. Not only have
they topped the Bulls, they also got the best of Minnesota, Atlanta and the LA
Lakers. As you can see, the Nuggets have been battle-tested on their home
court, so they won't be intimidated by the veteran Mavericks.

After a rough start, it looks like Denver is starting to
figure things out. Will they keep it going against Dallas?

NBA Pick

In three head-to-head meetings last season, Denver won
twice, but it was Dallas that covered in two of the three matchups.

We like the Nuggets here, primarily because of what Lawson brings
the table. He struggled his last time out and we fully expect a bounce-back
effort against a poor defender in Jose Calderon. Lawson's speed and the energy
inside of Faried and Hickson will be too much for the Mavs to handle.

Moreover, Denver has a lot of depth. They can call on the
likes of Jordan Hamilton, Andre Miller, Timofey Mozgov and Nate Robinson and
that's a luxury that coach Brian Shaw can use to his advantage, especially
against a Dallas team that played just last night.

With our NBA picks, we are going to recommend backing a
Nuggets win by five or more points on their home floor.